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Wednesday, September 7, 2016

#NEWS: Axe launches ‘Find Your Magic’ campaign

Joburg’s glitterati and key influencers converged at Melrose
Arch, Johannesburg, yesterday to experience the launch of ‘Find Your Magic’,
the radical new campaign from Axe, SA’s number one male fragrance brand.

The ‘Find Your Magic’ campaign sees the 33-year-old brand famous
for revolutionizing the deodorant category and for its iconic advertising,
recognise that stereotypical views of masculinity are changing as modern
masculinity takes centre stage.

And in a bold move showing just how the brand has pivoted towards
a progressive new vision of masculine individuality while celebrating
attraction, guests were reminded of how AXE has changed since it first launched
in June 1983, informed of how masculinity has changed through an incisive talk
by trends guru Dion Chang and engaged in a vibrant debate on the state of man
today.

Taking place at hip Melrose Arch landmark Churchills and
attended by celebrities including including singers Stoane Seate and Chad
Saaiman, comedian Donovan Goliath, female rapper Nadia Nakai and TV personality
Denise Zimba, official proceedings were opened by MC Maps Maponyane, a familiar
from last year’s Dry Spray Anti-Perspirant TV commercial.

Maponyane introduced Ryan Fauconier, AXE South Africa brand
manager, who explained how and why the brand evolved to reflect the changing
perception of masculinity while Chang’s lucid talk framed the AXE positioning
in a broader social context which has seen the traditional concept of
masculinity disrupted.

“We
believe that men are their most attractive when they embrace their own
individuality and that is why Axe is
liberating the South African Man from the stereotypical ideals of the past,
helping him become the most attractive man he can be by encouraging each and
every guy to Find Your Magic,” explained Fauconier about the thinking behind
re-defining the positioning for the leading mens fragrance brand.

The Axe ‘Find Your Magic’ campaign is driven by research,
developed through work with over 3,500 men in ten countries which shows that
despite social progress, men still feel overwhelming pressure to conform to
masculine stereotypes — and that male confidence is shockingly low.

From a South African point of view, the research was carried
out to help understand our South African man in more detail. What it means to
be a “man” is moving on for the current generation- we see a shift away from
the dominant patriarchal model associated with previous generations. The
younger generation want to move away from rigid gender roles and don’t feel the
need to subscribe to any preconceived ideas of masculinity. They want to show a
break from the past.

In response, the new positioning and ‘Find Your Magic’ campaign inspires guys to celebrate their
individuality, reject archaic, stereotypical notions of male attractiveness,
and gives them the tools and inspiration they need to work on their original
style.

The South African campaign follows the launch of the Axe global campaign earlier this year,
and will see the arrival of a new range of grooming products to encourage men
to ignore stereotypes and express their individuality – no matter what it looks
like – in the months to come.

The new range of Axe
fragrances which inspire individuality while still celebrating attraction is
backed up by an unprecedented new campaign featuring a radical, progressive
point of view on masculinity and attractiveness.